Improvement in safety gun-locks



J. E. MGBETH.

Gun-Lock.

No, 58,443. I K Patented .Oct. 2, 1866.

ffifizeais'ek wwW- Q) wq a UNITED STATES PATENT Canton JAMES E. MOBETH,OF NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA.

IMPROVEMENT IN SAFETY GUN-LOCKS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 58,443, dated October'2, 1866.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES E. MoBETH, of the city of New Orleans, parishof Orleans, and State of Louisiana, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Gun-Locks and Ido hereby declare that the following is afull, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in whichFigure 1 is a view of the lock with thehammer down and the ordinaryoruucocking trigger thrown forward into a horizontal position and into thenotch in the back of the cocking-t1 igger. Fig. 2 shows theuncocking-trigger released from the said notch, and theposition of theseveral parts of the lock immediately on the piece being full cocked. Fig. 3 is the same as Fig. 2, with the cooking trigger thrown forward, inorder to make room for the finger to be placed on the uncockingtrigger,for the purpose of springing the hammer. Fig. 4 shows the position ofthe several parts of the look when the hammer is sprun The same lettersrefer to like parts in all the figures.

Numerous cases of serious accidents having come under my observationwhile an officer in the army during the late war, occasioned by thehammers of the pieces coming suddenlyin contact with anything-musketsfalling from the stacks, &c.--convinced me of the utility and merit ofan arm so constructed as to effectually preclude the possibility of anacci dental discharge. To accomplish this purpose, therefore, is theobject of my invention.

The nature of my invention consists in, first, so forming or fasteningthe several parts of the look that the hammer can be contained whollywithin the stock of the piece. For this purpose the pivot-hole or centerupon which the hammer turns is brought nearly to the bottom part of thelook, so as to leave sufficient room above for the upper part of thehammer to work the distance required without having to make the stock ofthe piece near the lock large and clumsy in order to contain it. To thisend the lower part of the back side of the hammer is curved, as shown inthe drawings, while the upper part of the cooking trigger or lever isalso curved, as shown in the drawings,

and made to fit and work into the said curve on thelower part ofthehammer. By this means V cockingtrigger move can be brought as closetogether as may be required, and much closer than can be accomplished byany other than this curved formation, and, at the same time, the hammer,by this curved formation, can be caused to move by a slight movement ofthe curt'ed cocking-trigger fully a quarter of a circle, or more, ifnecessary, and which, it is claimed, cannot be done by any otherformation second, by having the hammer thus concealed within the stock aclear and unobstructed sight is obtained; third, in so forming theordinary or uncockin g trigger that it can be pressed forward into ahorizontal position when the hammer is down and against thebacl; part ofthe cocking-trigger, and securely held in that position during pleasure,thus locking the whole piece and effectually preventing it from beingcocked from a halfcock, or half-cocked when the hammer is down, andthereby dispensing with "the necessity of V a guard.

The operation of my invention is as follows: I11 the drawings, A is thehammer, B is the lever or cocking-trigger, G is the sear, D is theordinary or second trigger, E is the mainspring, 1* is the sear-spring,and P is the lookplate.

By action of the finger on pulling the lever or cocking-trigger, whichis just forward of the ordinary trigger, the hammer is brought up andcooked or halfcocked, and then by pulling the ordinary or second triggerthe lock is sprung.

The first or cockin g trigger is simply for the purpose of raising thehammer. \Vhen this is accomplished it is of no further service, un lessit is desired to let the hammer down easy, when a finger on each triggeris required.

011 pressing the trigger D into a horizontal position, when the piece isuncooked or at half cook, the end 01 is caught in the notch h, in B, andretained in that position by the spring 7:, on the back of B, againstthe downward press= ure of the sear-spring I acting on the project ingpoints 12 and 0, on O and D. The notch h is of sufficient size, so thatany pressure on the end d and spring 70, other than a deliberate andintentional one, by the party holding the piece,

' in which to move, and no more. the spring 70 with the thumb-nail, andat the 2 5&41433 will cause the end (I to recede farther up into thebody of the lock from such pressure, whether sudden or otherwise. Andwhen such pressure is withdrawn the spring 7c will have resumed itsposition, and prevent the end (I from being released from the notch it.

As before stated, the trigger D is held in a horizontal position by thespring 7t'- against the downward pressure of the sear-sprin g I; but theinstant that there is any pressure on the front part of the trigger Bthe end d slides up into the notch h, and said notch presses against theend (Z, and directly against the pivot a, on which the trigger D ishung. For this purposethc trigger B is allowed suflicient space Bypressing same time permitting the end (I to pass down, the trigger D isreleased from the notch h, and is thrown into a perpendicular positionby means of the downward pressure of the projecting point j), 011 thetail-end of the scar G, on the projecting point 0, on the ordinarytrigger D.

The cocking-trigger B and sear O are fitted together at the common pivotZ, upon which they move, so that the whole thickness of each piece ispreserved at all parts thereof except where they are so fitted, and bysuch fitting each part is a check upon theother, in not permit-tin g anygreater movem entthan is required.

The curve a a, on the hammer A, is for the purpose of allowing thecurved end a of the mainspring E to work into it, so as to permit theend of said mainspring to work clear of the upper end of thecockingtrigger B, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3; and also, by such curvedformation, a a and 0, the mainspringE throws the hammer the distancerequired, and without having to be depressed by the hammer so much aswould be required were it not for said curved formation. The main andsear springs can be combined in one spring, if desired.

What I claim as new and of my own invention, and desire to secure byLetters Patent of the United States, is

l. The cocking-trigger B, formed with the curve b, in combination withthe hammer A, formed with the curve a, substantially in the manner andfor the purposes herein described.

2. The notch h and spring k, on B, with the projecting point 0, on D,and the projecting point p, 011 G, substantially in the manner and forthe purposes herein described.

3. The combination of the notch h, spring A, projecting points 0 and p,sear C, sear-swing F, trigger D, and trigger B, substantially in themanner and for the purposes herein described.

4. The combination of B and C, substantially in the manner and for thepurposes herein described.

5. The combination of the several parts, A, B, O, and D, substantiallyin the manner and for the purposes herein described.

JAMES E. MOBETH.

Witnesses:

G120. GRINDLEY', REES. XV. THOMAS.

